Unemployment service difficulties raising fury

Some local legislators are voicing concerns about difficulties their constituents are having with contacting unemployment compensation service centers in Pennsylvania.

State House Appropriations Majority Leader Bill Adolph, R-165, of Springfield, voiced concerns about this issue in a Nov. 13 letter to Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway.

Adolph said his office has been assisting constituents by calling the same number they were calling and then patching them through.

That method no longer works and Adolph's staff now sends a fax to the Department of Labor and Industry with the constituent's information and the best time to contact the constituent.

Advertisement

"You addressed a letter to certain members of the Senate on Aug. 8 of this year indicating a goal of keeping service center phone lines open to individuals in true need," Adolph wrote to Hearthway. "That was over three months ago and still for whatever reason phone calls to the service center go unanswered. Either the call center technology is failing or the manpower in those offices is lacking.

"This situation has gone on far too long and a solution must be found quickly, if not now. As of the beginning of October, you have been trying to develop the technology so that the phone lines are not jammed. Six weeks is far too long to have this failed system continue."

Hearthway updated legislators about this issue in a Dec. 17 letter. While working to rectify this issue, Hearthway said her staff discovered a dramatic increase in calls being placed at the unemployment compensation service centers.

About 922,000 total toll-free calls were recorded as being placed at unemployment compensation service centers in Pennsylvania in September 2011. During the month of September this year, the number of calls reached nearly 8 million.

In October 2011, there were about 1.2 million calls to the centers; there were 11.6 million this October, according to Hearthway's letter. In November 2011, there were about 3 million calls; there were about 15.5 million this November.

"Even more perplexing is the fact that this dramatic increase in toll-free call volume comes at a time when the workload for (unemployment compensation) claims has been steadily decreasing," Hearthway wrote.

Adolph said this has been a troubling issue for his constituents. While this issue is being straightened out, he suggested people visit http://www.uc.pa.gov to file for benefits.

He said the second best way for people to ask questions is by sending them to a dedicated fax line, 717-525-5160. He said a staff member should get back to them within three business days.

If constituents still have trouble, they can try calling 888-313-7284. Adolph said it's best to call that number in the middle of the afternoon Wednesdays through Fridays. He said it's best to use a landline rather than a cellphone to call that number and people should not use automatic redial applications.

State Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160, of Upper Chichester, said he was also concerned about the difficulty his constituents have when contacting these service centers.

He said he was glad his staff could help constituents get through to the service centers, "but it should not be a sole problem we're dealing with."

"There are a lot of other constituent problems," he said, adding that he will be requesting a meeting with Adolph and Hearthway to discuss this issue in January.

House Democrats have been monitoring the issue, too. In a Dec. 18 co-sponsorship memorandum to his House colleagues, state Rep. Bill Keller, D-184, of Philadelphia, said he would reintroduce a bill that would direct state funds to shore up unemployment compensation service centers.

Keller, who is the ranking Democrat on the House Labor and Industry Committee, also requested a hearing on the issue, which took place before the House Democratic Policy Committee in October.

State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166, of Haverford, said any constituents who are having issues with getting through to the service centers can contact his office if they need help.

"We're pleased (Hearthway) is thoroughly examining this issue, that she shared the relevant data and that she's taking steps to address the issue," said Erik Arneson, a spokesman for state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, in an email. "We hope the issues are resolved soon. Every eligible Pennsylvania resident should be able to have their claim processed without undue burden."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Labor and Industry did not return messages Thursday seeking further comment.